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Since 1977, the German Institute of Archaeology in Cairo has been reexamining the archaic Royal necropolis Umm el-Qaab at Abydos (ca. 500 km south of Cairo). The necropolis consists of the tomb complexes of six kings and one queen of Dynasty I as well as two kings of Dynasty II in the southern part, the cemetery with royal tombs from Dynasty 0 and early Dynasty I in the middle and the predynastic cemetery in the northern part. Although partly destroyed and deprived of most of their contents, the tombs and the remaining artifacts are a major source for the early dynastic period and are of utmost importance for the understanding of predynastic development during Naqada I–III and the chronology of the formation of Egyptian culture. Sixteen newly 14C-dated samples were mainly taken from remains of wooden roofs and coffins, or in the case of the earliest tombs from mattings. The dating results in general are in good accordance with the relative archaeological dating of the tombs, but 100–150 yr earlier than the so far established historical chronology.

This study investigates municipalities’ regulatory activities in the field of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) for agricultural use. To explore the determinants of these activities, the case of Germany was selected as in this country, municipalities have legal possibilities to impose local GMO cultivation bans. Using data from 131 local council resolutions, the combination of qualitative and quantitative content analysis shows that, in most cases, no single factors, but a variety of factors lead to regulatory activity. The study reveals that functional motivations to prevent negative socio-economic effects or impacts on the environment or human health are decisive for municipalities’ decisions to regulate. Furthermore, the results of the quantitative analysis unveil that municipalities often refer to both socio-economic reasons and risks for the environment and human health when justifying their decisions. Moreover, the results indicate that local policymakers impose popular cultivation bans to promote their own political success. Finally, the horizontal diffusion of regulations between municipalities, but also vertical diffusion from higher political levels can be observed. Overall, the results of this study on GMOs on a local level further emphasize the importance of analyzing the interdependencies between agroecosystems and socio-economic systems in their full complexity.

In July 2018, the Court of Justice of the European Union decided that new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) fall within the scope of the restrictive provisions on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Previously, various actors had lobbied in order to influence the European Union's (EU's) regulatory decision on NPBTs. This study examines the venue choices taken by Cibus, a biotech company that promoted NPBT deregulation. It shows that the firm bypassed the EU level and that it lobbied competent authorities (CAs) in certain member states to gain support for the deregulation of NPBTs. Cibus chose the CAs because their institutional "closedness" reduced the risk of the debate over the deregulation of NPBTs becoming public. However, the CA's specific competences and their influence on EU decision making were of likewise importance. The firm lobbied CAs based in Finland, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Two factors appear to have influenced Cibus' choices for these countries: high-level political support for agribiotech and the high relevance of biotech sectors. In contrast, public support for GMOs turned out to have hardly any influence, and virtually no association could be observed for the agricultural application of biotechnology in the past nor for the weakness of domestic anti-GMO lobby groups. Finally, the in-depth study on Germany affirms that "closedness" was important for Cibus' choices and reveals that technical information served as a venue-internal factor that influenced the firm's choices. KEY WORDS: agricultural biotechnology, inside lobbying, EU multilevel system, new plant breeding techniques, venue choice 关键词: 农业生物技术, 内部游说, 欧盟多层体系, 新植物育种技术, 场地选择 Cabildeo interno sobre la regulación de nuevas técnicas de fitomejoramiento en la Unión Europea: determinantes de lugares para eventosEn julio de 2018, el Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea decidió que las nuevas técnicas de fitomejoramiento (NPBT) están dentro del alcance de las disposiciones restrictivas sobre organismos genéticamente modificados (OGM). Anteriormente, varios actores habían cabildeado para influir en la decisión reguladora de la Unión Europea (UE) sobre NPBT. Este estudio examina las opciones de lugar tomadas por Cibus, una compañía de biotecnología que promovió la desregulación de NPBT. Muestra que la empresa pasó por alto el nivel de la UE y presionó a las autoridades competentes (CA) en ciertos estados miembros para obtener apoyo para la desregulación de las NPBT. Cibus eligió a las AC porque su "cerramiento" institucional redujo el riesgo del debate sobre la desregulación de las Determinants of Venue Choices 93NPBT que se hacen públicas. Sin embargo, las competencias específicas de la AC y su influencia en la toma de decisiones de la UE fueron igualmente importantes. La firma presionó a las AC con sede en Finlandia, Alemania, Irlanda, Suecia, España y el Reino Unido. Dos factores parecen haber influido en las elecciones de Cibus para estos países: el apoyo político de alto nivel para la agrobiotecnología y ...

L’établissement Prédynastique de Maadi, qui a donné son nom à la culture chalcolithique de Basse-Égypte de la première moitié du 4e millénaire, est un site clé pour la compréhension des interconnections entre la Haute et la Basse-Égypte, et entre la Vallée du Nil et le sud du Levant. Si l’établissement évoque à première vue un village rural fondé sur l’agriculture, le site a révélé des importations venant de Haute-Égypte, suggérant des relations commerciales dans la Vallée du Nil et permettant de situer cet établissement dans la chronologie de la culture de Naqada. En outre, le site a révélé l’existence de différentes phases de relations avec le sud du Levant : des structures inhabituelles, semi-souterraines, ressemblent aux installations souterraines de la culture chalcolithique de Beersheva, bien que moins sophistiquées que ces dernières. Plus tard, Maadi semble avoir établi des relations commerciales avec des sites du Bronze ancien IA dans le sud de la Palestine, afin d’obtenir du cuivre et d’autres marchandises. Ces données, divergentes chronologiquement, sont commentées et complétées par une série de datations radiocarbones issues des nouvelles fouilles menées à Maadi par l’Institut archéologique allemand au Caire (DAI). Ces dates confirment que l’établissement est contemporain de la transition entre le Chalcolithique récent et le Bronze ancien dans le sud du Levant.

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